Princess Red Wing, akaMary E. (Glasko) Congdon, (March 21, 1896 – December 2, 1987) was aNarragansett andPokanoket elder, historian, folklorist, and museum curator. She was an expert on American Indian history and culture, and she once addressed theUnited Nations.
"Princess Red Wing" was born Mary E. Glasko on March 21, 1896, inSprague, Connecticut[1] to Walter and Hannah Glasko (née Weeden). She said that her mother chose to call her Princess Red Wing after thered-winged blackbird "to fling her mission far with grace".[2][3] Her mother was aPokanoket and her father was aNarragansett, and she was related to prominent Native Americans such asSimeon Simons, who fought withGeorge Washington, andMetacomet, who is remembered for wagingKing Philip's War against the colonies in New England in the 1670s.
Red Wing was the co-founder and editor ofThe Narragansett Dawn tribal newspaper which was published from 1935 to 1936. She became "SquawSachem" of the New England Council of Chiefs in 1945, a position which allowed her to preside over sacred ceremonies and festivals.[1] She was also a prominentstoryteller in the Narragansett community, keeping alive the oral traditions of her tribe. She preserved their history by founding theTomaquag Indian Memorial Museum in Rhode Island.[2] From 1947 to 1970, she served as a member of the Speaker's Research Committee of the under-secretariat of the United Nations. In 1975, she was awarded an honorary doctorate of human affairs by theUniversity of Rhode Island. In 1978, she was inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame.
Red Wing was married to Horace Peek until his death in 1927, then to Daniel Congdon from 1936 to his death in 1959.[4] She died on December 2, 1987, at age 91[1] and was buried inPascoag, Rhode Island.
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